Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Jerry Jeudy, WR DEN

James Simpson Posted On May 16, 2020

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Jerry Jeudy

Position: Wide receiver

Pro Team: Denver Broncos

College Team: Alabama Crimson Tide

Draft status: Round one, 15th overall

Video Highlights

Combine review

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 193 lbs
Arms: 32 1/8″
Hands: 9 1/2″
40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds
Bench press: N/A
Three-cone: N/A
Vertical jump: 35″
Broad jump: 120″

Strengths

You have heard it in every evaluation: route-running. He’s been called one of the greatest runners to ever come out of college, and NFL Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said: “his snap at the top of the route is as good as any prospect in the last decade”.
One trait that usually goes hand-in-hand with good route-running is acceleration, and Jeudy has plenty of it – as well as good long speed. In his breakout sophomore season, Jeudy averaged 19.3 yards per catch.
Jeudy is also versatile and can make an impact from wherever he is lined up. However, he clearly favored the slot on the right side – over 15 TDs (out of 24) came from that spot in 2018 and 2019.
He also had a tremendous ability to create yards after the catch at Alabama. He scored 26 TDs on 159 catches – one in six – but also made countless defenders miss with his change of direction skills and quick cuts. He is electric with the ball in his hands.
Finally, it’s important to point out his production. Plenty of players in this class are expected to have all the ‘tools’ to produce in the NFL, but Jeudy put his into practice, producing 2,742 receiving yards to go along with those 26 scores. He was also named the Biletnikoff Award winner in 2018.

Weaknesses

Jeudy is a bit on the slender side at 193 pounds. In order to compete against top NFL corners, Jeudy will need to be more physical than he has ever been. That’s not to say he will change his playing style to attack defenders and take hits, but he will simply need to have as much muscle as possible to avoid being pushed around.
He has been dinged for drops by plenty of evaluators, with many citing his concentration and focus as being potential reasons. I.e. he struggles a little more with contested catches or looking ahead to a nearby defender. However, plenty of players can thrive and still have success despite drops (Amari Cooper, Brandon Marshall, Terrell Owens) as opposed to not being able to catch (Devin Funchess).
Jeudy did not face much press coverage and instead spent plenty of time in the slot against ‘easier’ defenders. Whether this is a negative moving forward will depend on what Denver does with him.

Opportunities

Who would have thought in just a couple of months, the Broncos would manage to create one of the most exciting offenses in the league (on paper, at least)? Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Melvin Gordon, Phillip Lindsay, and tight ends Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam will all have to be accounted for in some fashion.

This should suit Jeudy perfectly as it will mean he is not matched up with the opponent’s top corner on every play. Hypothetically, Sutton gets the best opposition corner, Hamler stretches the field, and Jeudy is allowed to run the full route tree in the middle of the field that he’s capable of thriving in. Being in an attack that scores point is a good thing, Denver’s offense should – at the very least – be able to move the ball.

With Jeudy being a first-round pick, he will also be rushed onto the field as soon as possible. Higher picks are generally presented with more opportunities earlier (and later) in their careers.

Threats

Yes, having a more prolific offense will hopefully mean more points. However, with the addition of more playmakers, it does also mean there will be more mouths to feed.

Firstly, Sutton – in his sophomore season – established himself as the top target in Denver, earning a Pro Bowl (alternate) invite with a 72-catch, 1,112-yard and six-touchdown line in 2019. In his post-draft press conference, general manager John Elway said: “Not only did we need that position, but we needed that to make Courtland [Sutton] better too because as we saw at the end of last year they were trying to take Courtland out of the game.” Sutton is on the rise, and Jeudy won’t see the pure volume he might have perhaps received if he was the only target somewhere else.

The real question is: How good is Drew Lock? If he doesn’t pan out, he is arguably the biggest threat to Jeudy’s value.

Four starts in five wins is fantastic, but 204 yards per game and just seven passing touchdowns over those starts doesn’t translate to fantasy success for his wideouts. Of course we are expecting Lock to take a big step up, but it needs to be a big one for every player in the offense to produce.

Short-term expectations

Unlike some receivers who come into the NFL with the athletic traits but not “pro-ready”, Jeudy should hypothetically be able to adapt more quickly than some of his peers. Playing at Alabama seems to prepare players a whole lot more for the physical nature of the NFL. The skill of simply ‘getting open’ will also get him on the field and we can expect at least involvement early, if not production.

However, Jeudy’s teams stomped on their opponents, and he faced weaker defenders one-on-one. His ability to create separation will not disappear, but better corners and safeties will slow him down. With his smaller frame, he may get pushed around early on.

Long-term expectations

Expectations are high for the newest Bronco. Regardless of what the future holds at quarterback in Denver, Jeudy’s career should be a good one.

A receiver capable of being a technician on the outside or inside should be able to carve out a long career in the NFL, and if Jeudy is as good at getting open as most analysts think he is, then he will be successful both immediately and many years down the line.

NFL player comparison

Who is the best route runner you can think of? In recent history, you might think of Odell Beckham, Stefon Diggs or Doug Baldwin. Further back, Marvin Harrison. None of them are the most physically imposing, but defensive backs simply can’t/couldn’t keep up. Jeudy has the chance to have a similar career to them. Lance Zierlein compares him to Santonio Holmes. Over at The Draft Network, he is likened to AJ Green, Amari Cooper, and Reggie Wayne.

The sky is the limit based on his ability and college production, and you shouldn’t be too worried about his frame or any of the potential weaknesses coming into the league.

Projected rookie draft range

In the first set of results in our post-draft dynasty rookie ADP, Jeudy came in at seventh, according to Ryan McDowell – as the WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb. That is exactly where he was taken in Ken Kelly, Ray Garvin and McDowell’s mock right after the draft. In our rookie draft cheat sheet, he is sixth – just ahead of Cam Akers.

Based on the excellent landing spots of the top runners in this class, you will likely be able to get Jeudy around the five-seven range. However, as seen in our DLF staff mock, you may see an owner fall in love with Jalen Reagor and/or Ke’Shawn Vaughn and allow Jeudy to fall. In that mock, he made it to ninth.

In a superflex or 2QB league, there is value to be had – assuming you are already in good shape at quarterback. We can expect definitely Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa – and potentially Justin Herbert – to leapfrog Denver’s top selection. He is found again at ninth in our superflex cheat sheet and was taken at eight – ahead of Lamb – in McDowell, Garvin and Jeff Haverlack’s knee-jerk reaction mock.

Ultimately, startup drafts are the best bets for looking at overall value in context, and in DLF’s April ADP, Jeudy came in as the WR22, just behind Allen Robinson and Calvin Ridley, and ahead of DJ Chark and Deebo Samuel. That value should hold through his rookie season, regardless of his production.

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James Simpson

Writer and Editor at Dynasty League Football

The great Russell Wilson once said: "the separation is in the preparation". James shares the same sentiment when it comes to dynasty success. Do the research, watch a ton of football and be relentless about building what you view to be the most talented team. Question everything, be open-minded and learn lessons every day.

As well as editing for DLF, James writes for Sky Sports and can be found on Twitter at @JS_Football